I’ve What It Takes To Be Senate President – Lawan

The member representing Yobe North Senatorial District, Senator Ahmed Lawan, has pointed out that he has the qualities to be the next Senate President in the 8th National Assembly.

Lawan, who is a leading contender for the exalted position, said having garnered the necessary experience at the House of Representatives and the Senate in the last 16 years, he has a good understanding of the workings of parliament.

The Senator, who spoke during an interactive session with newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday, said if he eventually emerged as the President, the Senate will make good governance its main focus.

He vowed that the Senate under his leadership will support the incoming administration on its ‘war’ against corruption, adding: “Nigeria of today needs to engage in a serious fight against corruption because large chunk of our budget in the past four years have been going into private pockets”.

Speaking about his experiences at the National Assembly, Lawan, who is presently Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, said that his membership of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007 has afforded him the chance to monitor and learn from former speakers including Salisu Buhari, Ghali Na’aba and Aminu Massari.

Acknowledging that the National Assembly was suffering from public image crisis, Lawan said that under his leadership, Nigerians would be made to understand the functions of the legislature and what they should expect from the lawmakers.

“The Senate, under my leadership, will be transparent and Nigerians would be made to know what we do. We would ensure the government functionaries do not mismanage the available fund. Oversight functions of members of the Senate would be taken seriously”, he said.

On zoning of the key political positions, Lawan argued that the North-east deserved to be given the office of the President of the Senate because it had been marginalized.

The Yobe Senator argued that the North-central has had the opportunity to produce three Senate Presidents between 1999 and 2015 adding: “We have been marginalised. We never had the opportunity, our party should entrust us with this position. We deserve it in the North-east”.